eberlyart - How do I care for my brushes?

Your brushes are your best friends in this class- nothing will happen without them.
You only get one set of brushes, so take care of them!!!

What are the parts of your brush?

What kind of brushes will we use in class?

What is each brush used for?

• Filbert - Flat brushes with domed ends. They allow good coverage and the ability to perform some detail work.
• Bright - often Short flat, a chisel ended, square headed bristle brush. These are flat brushes with short stiff bristles and can be useful driving paint into the weave of a canvas in thinner paint applications, as well as thicker painting styles like impasto work.
• Flat - These are used for spreading paint quickly and evenly over a surface. They will have longer hairs than their Bright counterpart.
• Round: The long closely arranged bristles of these brushes make them useful for detail

Wash out your brushes after each painting session

Nothing will ruin your brush faster then not cleaning them! Here's how:

Wipe off any excess paint using a cloth or soft tissue. Gently squeezing the bristles from the ferrule edge outwards with your fingers, or with a cloth, will help remove paint from the brush. But be careful to avoid pulling on the bristles.
Rinse the brush in turpentine or oil if you've been using oils or lukewarm water if you've been using a water-based medium. Never use hot water as it can expand the ferrule, causing the hairs to fall out.
Wipe it on the cloth again to remove the last of the excess paint.
Wash gently using a little bit of mild soap (rather than dishwashing liquid). Dab the brush gently onto the piece of soap, then work up a lather in the palm of your hand.
Rinse and repeat until there's no trace of any color coming out. Over time a brush may become stained, but don't stop rinsing until you're sure there's no paint left.
Rinse once more in clean, lukewarm water to remove any traces of soap. Shake off the water.
Use your fingers to gently shape the brush head into its correct shape.
If necessary, wrap the bristles in a piece of tissue or toilet paper while the brush is still wet. When the paper dries it'll contract, pulling the bristles into shape.
Leave brush to dry at room temperature. Ensure it's not resting on its head as it will then dry misshapen. Standing it on the back of the handle works well.